What's going on with SS's "Customer Service"?

[Oat Willy]

So I had heard that we were allowed to cancel an item and be refunded the NRD once per year. I decided I wanted to cancel my Wonder Woman PF order, so I contacted SS Customer Service via chat. I asked to cancel the piece and they said OK, then I asked them to refund the NRD. The rep said no and said "why do you think it's called a Non Refundable Deposit". And I explained what I had heard about the once per year policy, and they replied "why would you think we would call it a non refundable deposit if we refunded your deposit??" What a snide, snarky response! I ended up just disconnecting on the person and not pursuing it further. There's a proper way to address customers, and there's a way to lose them. This person didn't simply explain that sorry, you were wrong, there is no such policy. They responded with exactly what I wrote above.

Then more recently, I was disappointed with the bait and switch SS pulled with the Red Sonja paint job, but I had decided to keep it anyway. Then the more I looked at it, the more the two-tone neck bothered me. I decided this was a deal breaker, so I requested a return/refund. The rep that replied said this didn't constitute a defect and that I could return it but shipping would be on me! I replied that this was unacceptable, and received no reply.

So just what is going on over there??

 

[Lejuan]

If customers are allowed to keep an NRD on an item my guess is that this is at SSC's discretion. My understanding is that nowhere in their policy does it suggest that NRDs will be refunded in any circumstances. A polite enquiry about this before cancelling the piece may have been a better way to go about it rather than requesting to cancel the piece and then asking for the NRD to be refunded as though it were a done deal.

Re: Red Sonja, you bought the piece and didn't like the paint... doesn't seem like a defect to me either (though I'm not familiar with the discrepancy between proto and final product). The fact that they're willing to refund you minus the shipping seems reasonable enough to me.

If I were a business I would've given the same response in both situations.

 

[Collectorcol]

It's never been once a year, they usually offer a courtesy 'one time only' transfer of NRD at their discretion.
They've done it twice for me. I was polite and explained my reasons...

 

[Asdf]

Try calling again, maybe with a differ rep, you get different response.

 

[karamazov80]

While it may not be great "customer care" or whatever, I agree with what they say about the NRD. Paint work that differs from a prototype, however, is on them and I think they should be responsible for shipping a product back.

 

[devilof76]

It is a given that the production piece may differ from the prototype. It is stated openly on all solicitations. They instituted the NRD so that people would have to choose between securing a guaranteed order and waiting to see the final, shipped statue before deciding to buy. If you are willing to risk not being able to buy it, then you will not be in a position where you have to pay for return shipping.

 

[Collectorcol]

^

Want the Ex? Take the risk or wait for inhand pictures and get the Reg.

 

[Oat Willy]

It's not just that the RS was different from the prototype. The top half of the neck is about 10 shades darker than bottom half. This much is a defect, and is not open to personal preference. The heads were obviously painted separately from the bodies, and were not painted to match.

 

[Oat Willy]

If customers are allowed to keep an NRD on an item my guess is that this is at SSC's discretion. My understanding is that nowhere in their policy does it suggest that NRDs will be refunded in any circumstances. A polite enquiry about this before cancelling the piece may have been a better way to go about it rather than requesting to cancel the piece and then asking for the NRD to be refunded as though it were a done deal.

If I were a business I would've given the same response in both situations.

It's a good thing you are not a business then. A snippy snarky response is never justified in a customer service situation, no matter how "wrong" the rep thinks the customer is.

 

[Lejuan]

It's a good thing you are not a business then. A snippy snarky response is never justified in a customer service situation, no matter how "wrong" the rep thinks the customer is.

I agree. I would certainly not respond to a customer in the way you described.

 

[Lejuan]

It's not just that the RS was different from the prototype. The top half of the neck is about 10 shades darker than bottom half. This much is a defect, and is not open to personal preference. The heads were obviously painted separately from the bodies, and were not painted to match.

Different shades of paint where they're supposed to be the same does sound bad, I misunderstood your initial post.

 

[DiFabio]

It's probably just the person you spoke to. I've been in a situation where they gave me back my NRD for my first time or yearly whatever.

 

[Y4NK33 PL4N3T]

He should get a refund on Ted Sonja, gimme a break.

As for the NRD, I agree with LJ's response regarding an inquiry prior to the conversation probably being the best way to go about it. That being said, the SSC CS rep's response was atrocious.

 

[devilof76]

He can get a refund, but he'll have to pay for return shipping.

It's not just that the RS was different from the prototype. The top half of the neck is about 10 shades darker than bottom half. This much is a defect, and is not open to personal preference. The heads were obviously painted separately from the bodies, and were not painted to match.

The policy wasn't established to address defective items. It was specifically for pieces that had running deviations in production. Changes such as darker skin than the prototype, and different paint between head and neck are not considered defects if the whole run is affected. Whether it's a mistake or intentional, they won't send replacements if all of the statues have the same issue.

 

[devilof76]

He can get a refund, but he'll have to pay for return shipping.

It's not just that the RS was different from the prototype. The top half of the neck is about 10 shades darker than bottom half. This much is a defect, and is not open to personal preference. The heads were obviously painted separately from the bodies, and were not painted to match.

The policy wasn't established to address defective items. It was specifically for pieces that had consistent deviations in production. Changes such as darker skin than the prototype, and different paint between head and neck are not considered defects if the whole run is affected. Whether it's a mistake or intentional, they won't send replacements if all of the statues have the same issue.

 

[Solidus]

It's never been once a year, they usually offer a courtesy 'one time only' transfer of NRD at their discretion.
They've done it twice for me. I was polite and explained my reasons...

I transferred my NRD once, from the 89 Batmobile to the two Hot Toys Metal Gear Solid figures. I told them that the Batmobile was way too big for my apartment. They were thoroughly understanding about it, and gave me the whole spiel about it being a "one time courtesy". I don't think they'll lose money if you just want to transfer your NRD. They'd most likely deny requests for refunding NRDs, though.

Case in point: don't pay down an NRD, unless you're absolutely certain that you want that particular item.

 

[devilof76]

Why can't we edit or delete posts in this thread?

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Why can't we edit or delete posts in this thread?

It's the way the section is set up

 

[karamazov80]

It is a given that the production piece may differ from the prototype. It is stated openly on all solicitations. They instituted the NRD so that people would have to choose between securing a guaranteed order and waiting to see the final, shipped statue before deciding to buy. If you are willing to risk not being able to buy it, then you will not be in a position where you have to pay for return shipping.

Well I've never had the kind of problem that the OP has had with any of my orders. If I had something that looked notably different from the prototype in a negative way, I was granted a full refund without having to eat return shipping costs. If they tried to deny that to me in the future then I'm not sure that I would buy another statue from them at all. I think I'm pretty reasonable and realistic when it comes to these things (obviously the great painters who do the solicitation stuff aren't hand painting each production piece), but I suspect many of us have a point past which something is too great a deviation, be it due to QC issues, sub-standard paint apps, or whatever else the case may be.

The policy wasn't established to address defective items. It was specifically for pieces that had consistent deviations in production. Changes such as darker skin than the prototype, and different paint between head and neck are not considered defects if the whole run is affected. Whether it's a mistake or intentional, they won't send replacements if all of the statues have the same issue.

Without getting into semantics as to whether this is a "defect" or not, this is a quality control problem as I see it.

 

[Chicky]

Hi Willy!

I apologize if our live chat rep was snippy. We had several new CS personnel training but that have since been let go. If you EVER encounter that type of attitude please note their name and email our CS manager. All chat transcripts are stored so that we may review them and retrain reps if needed. Or fire them .

As far as the NRD, customers do not get a yearly pass. They may get a one time forgiveness courtesy based on the circumstances or a transfer of the NRD to another order. If you are unsure of your purchase, I would hold off on ordering and committing to an NRD.

In addition, anyone is welcome to return items for any reason with the return shipping charge at your expense. If however the paint scheme deviates wildly from the prototype we will cover return costs. Keep in mind all these items are hand painted, so there are going to be differences. This is just a fact. However, if you provide pictures with an explanation and on yours it is a major deviation, then we will cover the return shipping! If you feel the Return reps are not being receptive then please feel free to request a communication from the CS Manager William!

If you would like for me to have William look into the particulars of your return email me at [email protected]!

Best,
Chicky
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